


Cigarettes In The Rain

by plumeriafairy14



Category: Shingeki no Kyojin | Attack on Titan
Genre: Angst, Character Death, Gift Fic, Jearmin - Freeform, M/M, Yaoi, ereri, modern!AU
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-11-23
Updated: 2015-11-23
Packaged: 2018-05-03 01:40:51
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,410
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5271776
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/plumeriafairy14/pseuds/plumeriafairy14
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p><a href="http://s233.photobucket.com/user/andrea_celina/media/683c9f7d-8c12-4a6e-9ae1-f842a0721a78_zpsubwrqauw.png.html"></a><img/><br/>Eren had always hated Levi's smoking habit and he was thrilled when Levi finally decided to quit. But when a life shattering turn of events tore Levi's life apart, he thought that maybe...He needed a smoke.<br/>Or two.<br/>Or three.<br/>Or more.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Cigarettes In The Rain

**Author's Note:**

  * For [rosanticis](https://archiveofourown.org/users/rosanticis/gifts).



> HELLO! Here's a little angsty one shot as a break from my other fanfic, Cyber Link. Also, I would like to dedicate this work as a gift to rosanticis for the wonderful Ereri fanart they made for Cyber Link. Honestly, I feel honored. (Also, I can't draw. So I wrote :D )  
> This is also for the Ereri community. I'm sorry that it turned out to be angst instead of fluff. I just... I dunno what happened. (I guess I'm the queen of angst? Aw, come on guys, you've probably read more heart wrenching Ereri, right? RIGHT? D: *SOBS*) 
> 
> There's some Jearmin in here too (Because I am Jearmin trash. I'm a slut for those two <3 Teehee~) But the story is more Ereri centered. 
> 
> Again, thank you very much. Please check out my other fanfic, Cyber Link. I would also like to say thanks for the love and support you've shown. 
> 
> Disclaimer: Shingeki no Kyojin is not mine, it's Isayama Hajime's. English is not my first language so I'm sorry if you find any errors. 
> 
> Havea great day/night! 
> 
> Song on repeat: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YSmDuxoO35Q

The rain pounded on the hard pavement while a man sat on an empty waiting shed. It was about 7 in the evening and the bus schedule said that then next vehicle is set for 6:15. The man impatiently ran his slender fingers across his raven black hair whose tips brushed above his eyes.

Levi reached into his pocket and pulled out a half empty pack of his favorite cigarettes and he tapped the bottom a few times until the tip of a filter slid out. He placed the stick between his lips and lit it with a lighter he took out next.

Truth be told, Levi had managed to quit smoking before with a lot of support from his significant other. Eren hated his bad habit and the man that was five years his junior dedicated every day into helping Levi quit. A small smile lifted the corners of Levi’s lips as he thought about that stubborn brat yelling at him whenever he caught Levi with that cancer stick in his mouth. They would always end up fighting because of it on some days but they always managed to make up in the end.

-o-o-o-o-

_“Do you want to be dead by the age of thirty five?” Eren demanded, yelling. “Because hell, Levi, I’ll surely be pissed off if you get sick!”_

_“We all die in the end, brat.” Levi replied with a sigh._

_“But that doesn’t mean you should quicken the process, dammit!” Eren retorted. “And besides, the house smells unpleasant!”_

_“Oh,” Levi quirked an eyebrow at that young man with eyes like polished emeralds. “And you accuse me of being a clean freak?” Levi rarely yelled during an argument. Truth be told, it was Eren who’d always go batshit angry while Levi held his ground like a rock. The only time he would yell back was when the fight had kicked up a notch higher into the scale. Whenever Levi yelled, it meant that the fight was already very bad._

_“You’re impossible, Levi! You never listen!”_

_“You love me anyway.” Levi couldn’t help but smirk as he killed off the little ember of flame in the cigarette he was puffing on just before Eren walked in on him unexpectedly. That brat managed to head home earlier than usual after he said that he’d just be out to buy groceries._

_Eren paused and stared at Levi in disbelief before his cheeks reddened with an angry blush as he turned his back and stomped away. Eren exited their small rental house and slammed the door on Levi’s face before he went to sit on the rickety bench swing on their porch._

_When the front door slowly opened, Eren didn’t even look up when the bench swing creaked as Levi sat down beside him. They swung in silence while they watched the leaves fall to the ground in the crisp autumn breeze. As the minutes ticked by, the silence between them grew comfortable and Eren’s anger slowly melted into nothing._

_“Are you still mad?” Levi suddenly spoke up. Those mesmerizing blue-gray eyes side-glanced at Eren who had rested his chin against his palm, his elbow propped up on the side rail of the bench._

_“Maybe…” Eren muttered without looking at Levi. He kept his eyes focused on the falling leaves on the yard. He gave a small wave when their neighbor, Mr. Reiss and his daughters, Krista and Frieda, who were ten and fourteen years old respectively, walked by. Levi waited for the single father and the girls to disappear at the curb down the street before he reached into his pants pocket and pulled out a folded piece of paper._

_“The fuck is this?” Eren asked as he accepted what Levi handed over to him._

_Levi shrugged and Eren suspiciously unfolded the thin material in his hands._

_It was a flier for a workshop dedicated to help smokers who want to quit._

_“If all goes well,” Eren’s eyes drifted to Levi when his significant other spoke. “This is going to be last time you’ll ever catch me.”_

_Eren ran his gaze over the bold letters on the flier again to make sure he was reading it right._

_‘BAD HABITS AND QUITING. A WORKSHOP BY PROF. DOT PIXIS’_

_“Hey, I know this guy.” A smile lit up Eren’s face and deep inside, Levi found it beautiful. “I think he was Armin’s pre-med professor back in Shiganshina State U. The guy was fired because he always came to class drunk. I’m glad he’s able to pick up his life.”_

_“Yeah.” Levi nodded. “That’s the guy. You see, you’re not the only one pestering me to quit. Erwin’s been pushing this shit into my face for the past week.”_

_“You really mean it, Levi?” Eren suddenly asked as he leaned closer towards the older man with anticipation in his green eyes. “You promise?”_

_“I promise.” Levi sighed but he gave a small laid back smile. Levi didn’t smile a lot and he sure didn’t do it around people he wasn’t comfortable with. But with Eren, he held nothing back._

_Without any warning, the bench swing creaked when Eren leaned in and pressed his lips against Levi’s in a tender kiss. “I’m proud of you. Deciding on it…you’re already halfway there.” Eren smiled as he pulled back, but their lips still hovered centimeters from each other’s. “I’m with you every step of the way.” He paused and tore his eyes away before he pouted._

_“What is it this time?” Levi asked with a scowl. Seriously, there was nothing in this damn world that didn’t set Eren off. But despite that, Levi found it to be quite adorable._

_Eren muttered something under his breath._

_“Pardon?” Levi raised an eyebrow._

_“I said I love you.” Eren replied with a glare while he crossed his arms over his chest stubbornly. “Stubborn old man.”_

_“Damned brat.” Levi leaned in and pressed their lips again in a loving kiss._

-o-o-o-o-

**7:15 PM**

That was what the hands of the clock said when Levi glanced down on the wrist watch underneath the cuff of his leather jacket. Shit, guess he’d just have to walk to the subway under the pouring rain and that was about seven blocks away from where he was. Another option was to call someone up and hitch a ride but he didn’t know anyone near the area.

Levi flicked the half-finished cigarette on the pavement and ground the heel of his shoe to kill off the flame. He pulled his sweat shirt hood over his head and stuffed his hands into the pockets of his jacket as he started on his way under the pouring rain.

He hated this kind of weather.

Because it always reminded him of the day his life fell apart.

-o-o-o-o-

_“Heeeyyy, Levi!” A cheerful young woman greeted him. Her burgundy hair was tied into a high ponytail and the name plate on her apron read: Sasha. “What’s it going to be today?”_

_“One blueberry Danish bread and chamomile tea to go.” Levi automatically recited his order with his usual bored tone. Sasha nodded and began to process his order while Levi pulled out his wallet from the back pocket of his jeans. His immediate boss and good friend, Erwin, had let him take an early coffee break from the workplace and Levi wordlessly slipped out and went straight to his favorite café._

_He pulled out a five dollar bill and slid it on the smooth marble counter just as Sasha handed him a paper bag and a take-out cup._

_“Thank you!” The young woman sang happily when the register made an audible ‘cha-ching!’ sound._

_Levi nodded in acknowledgement and tugged the lapels of his coat when he stepped into the soft drizzle that had begun to fall that afternoon. The weather had been shitty all day and Levi just wanted to go home, snuggle up with Eren… Maybe get a bit more hot and frisky under the comforter._

_Suddenly, his phone began to vibrate and his ringtone blared but it sounded muffled in his side pocket._

_Levi fished it out and looked at the screen; It was Mikasa’s number._

_“Hello?” Levi answered after he swiped across the screen to accept the call and pressed the device against his ear. “What is it, Mikasa?”_

_Levi had a strange relationship with Eren’s over protective sister, Mikasa. When Eren introduced him to her, the woman was all dagger stares but Levi wasn’t the kind to get intimidated. In the end, they settled into an understanding that was rooted on respect and love for Eren._

_“Levi, where are you?” Mikasa’s voice was oddly hurried. Levi started to get a bad feeling because she wasn’t really the type to panic._

_“At work, why?” Levi replied as his brows furrowed._

_“It’s…” Mikasa gulped air. “It’s Eren… Trost General. Hurry!” A pause and Levi felt his spine stiffen with fear when he heard people panicking at the background. “…NOW, LEVI!”_

_The line went dead and the take out baggie along with the chamomile tea splatted on the wet pavement as Levi ran to hail the first cab he saw._

_But when Levi got to the hospital, the sight of Mikasa sitting like a helpless, lost duck on one of the chairs in the emergency ward greeted him. Jean Kirschtein, Eren’s friend whom he bickered with a lot and Armin’s fiancé, held a half empty paper cup with what looked like crappy vendo coffee while he sat beside Mikasa. His eyes were on the blonde young man who was Eren’s and Mikasa’s best friend while he spoke to one of the doctors. Armin himself was a doctor, but he was off shift today and he was dressed up casually like he was hanging out at home before all of this happened._

_It was Jean who noticed Levi’s arrival and nudged Mikasa to gesture at the man. When Mikasa’s eyes lifted to meet Levi’s, they were blank, matted, and dead._

_That was how Levi knew that he was too late. Armin was the most stable among the three because as a doctor, he was well trained to repress emotion during dire times so he can think rationally. He approached Levi and explained how Eren was shot when a bank robbery took place and he was walking past the scene when the shots went off. A stray bullet hit Eren and pierced his chest which caused him to die of internal bleeding an hour later._

_Jean had to step up and pull Levi up to his feet when he sank to the floor and stared with wide but deadpanned eyes on the mosaic tiles. He helped Levi onto one of the chairs before he stepped back when the broken man shrugged him off violently._

_And to think that he just finished the workshop the week before and was half way into the success of finally being able to quit smoking._

_Finally, Mikasa turned to face Levi before she reached into her pocket and took out a leather box. By that time, everything had sunk into Armin and he began sob brokenly. Jean wrapped his arms around the blond while he tried to hold back his own tears but failed._

_“Eren had this with him.” Mikasa’s voice was a hushed whisper, thick with tears. “It’s for you.”_

_Levi took the box with trembling fingers and pulled open the lid. Inside was a silver wristwatch with the name ‘Levi’ engraved on the back of the watch. There was a small card that said; **‘Congrats on successfully quitting the bad habit! I’m proud of you. You mean the world to me, old man! :) ’ –Love and always, E.**_

_That was when Levi completely lost the battle to hold his composure and broke down from anger, heartbreak, and devastation._

-o-o-o-o-

The hands on Levi’s watch said that it was already quarter to eight. He was soaked, he was cold, and he was pissed at the mud that had clung on the soles of his boots. He tried to stuff his hand deeper into his pocket to avoid getting his watch wet in the rain. How long has it been since that day? Two years? Yeah, that’s right. Two miserable, empty years since his beautiful emerald-eyed brat was taken from him.

Even so, the seasons went on without delay. A lot has happened since then; Armin and Jean got married, Mikasa was finally able to publish her first novel, Erwin promoted Levi at work, and Sasha informed him recently that the café had begun to expand in other cities.

But Levi still didn’t feel any different since the day Eren went on without him.

Shit, how many more packs of cigarettes should he smoke to follow suit?

As Levi reached the final block that was near the subway entrance, he waited the sign on the stop light to turn green for pedestrians while he stood on the edge of the street. He’d just have to cross, get on the train, and he’ll be homebound. The rain had fizzled off and was reduced to a drizzle when Levi decided to pull out another cigarette believing that the gentle spray from the sky wasn’t enough to kill off the flame anyway. When his lighter clicked and lit the end of the stick, the sign went green.

Boots grazed the pavement when Levi stepped off the sidewalk and began to cross the empty street. As he walked, he heard the rev of a car engine and the sound of screeching tires while Bohemian Rhapsody blared. Levi stood frozen in place as he looked straight into the bright glare of headlights that came straight for him.

Levi didn’t even feel the pain when the front bumper of the car threw him several meters away before he skidded back and hit his head on the wet pavement.

“Reiner, call 911!”

“I’m on it, dammit, Berty! Where’s my pho—“

The voices Levi heard sounded distant as the world began to fade around him. He stared at the gray storm clouds in the sky as the rain began to fall again, mixing with the tears that fell from his blue-gray eyes. The ground beneath him began to run red while the cigarette fell from his parted lips that moved soundlessly with the final word he would ever speak.

“Eren.”

The moment Levi’s heart stopped beating, the ticking hand on his broken, blood soaked watch stopped as well.

**7:59 PM**

 

 

**Author's Note:**

> Smoking is dangerous to your health.
> 
> Please always check your brakes. Drive safe, everyone!


End file.
